by Judy Ryan
LifeWork Systems promotes a responsibility-based culture. The most difficult part of this is transfer of responsibility to others so they fully pick it up. When transfer of responsibility succeeds, the result is task ownership; people managing their relationships, productivity, engagement and progress plan. Transferring responsibility and picking it up are skills not often well-developed, trained, or promoted.
Why is transfer of responsibility difficult?
In order for responsibility to be transferred to another effectively, the one transferring it must tap into the autonomy, free will, power, and internal motivation of the other. Here are several reasons this is difficult:
1. Control tactics are widely prescribed and used. Because so many people use control in an effort to gain responsible behavior from others, they do not realize the effects. For example, when a person:
a. Powers over as an autocrat, people react with resentful compliance, rebellion, or both.
b. Dangles carrots with incentives, people react with competition, self-focus, and lose internal motivation for tasks or the quality of their execution.
c. Bestows judgments like “I’m disappointed in you”, people react by becoming brown-nosers, people pleasers or rebel and resist, thinking ‘Who died and made you God?’
d. Pampers and enables by rescuing, exempting or doing and saying too much, people react by becoming less responsible.
2. S.L.A.M: Say Less, Ask More. To transfer responsibility, one must engage the recipient in critical thinking. By asking more than saying more, recipients are positioned to draw upon their critical thinking and choice.
3. Asking ineffective questions. Many people who use SLAM at first don’t realize Why and Who questions lead to analysis and blame. Using What and How questions lead to self and relationship-management.
4. Not asking for a commitment. Even with What and How questions people don’t ask for commitments.
5. Accepting non-commitment. Even when asking for commitment, people don’t pay attention to phrases such as, “I’ll try…” or “I can do…” (but will you?) or “I know I should…”, indicators of non-commitment.
6. Not asking for a specific plan. When a person gains a commitment but leaves it as less than SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound) this does not lead to success or follow through.
7. Not noticing if a commitment was fulfilled. When one does not pay attention to the outcome, they fail to see the lack of trust in unfulfilled commitments. The transfer in fact failed and needs to be addressed.
Why is picking up responsibility difficult?
Most people have had their power suppressed, shamed, challenged, punished, and treated as suspect throughout their entire childhood, including when very young (think “terrible twos”) in homes and schools. When I took my first training in this model, it was in a parenting program. At the first meeting, I introduced my 4-year-old son as “the biter.” After I put him into the daycare, the instructor said, “Don’t refer to his autonomy in that way. It cements shame about his identity and power.” I was embarrassed but it also made sense.
When we fail to acknowledge, validate, celebrate, and effectively guide people in the use of their power, they internalize shame and then want to avoid responsibility. This is often unconscious but very present. As a result, they blame others when things don’t go their way, they avoid failure, and seek to side-step possible shaming, humiliation, and punishment. When becoming skilled in recognizing this, the prevalence of it is quite obvious.
When is transferring responsibility effective?
Transferring responsibility is effective when a psychologically safe, trusting, encouraging, and emotionally and socially intelligent culture is present. Only when the culture is infused with consistent concepts, terms, tools, and processes that foster awareness and management of thinking and behaving, do healthy outcomes prevail.
Judy Ryan (judy@LifeworkSystems.com), human systems specialist, is owner of LifeWork Systems. Join her in her mission to create a world in which all people love their lives. She can also be reached at 314-239-4727.
People hire LifeWork Systems because we help businesses become agile and manage their priority system: their human system. I hope this article helps you make sense of what’s most crucial to your evolving organization!